This invention relates to a circular saw having a viewing window on the shoe thereof.
One of the problems associated with the use of a hand-held circular saw is properly aligning the saw so that the desired cut is achieved. Typically, a user will draw a line on the material to be cut. This line represents the location of the desired cut. The problem arises when the user of the hand-held circular saw attempts to align the blade with the line on the material. The problem continues as the user attempts to keep the blade tracking on the desired cut line.
To assist in the alignment, circular saws are typically provided with a guide slot. The guide slot is usually located on the planar cutting base, or shoe, of the saw, and is positioned in front of, and in line with, the circular saw blade. The user then positions the saw so that the line on the material appears in the guide slot. While the provision of such a guide slot does aid the user in proper saw alignment, problems still exist. Because the guide slot is located in front of the blade the guide slot can be positioned on the cut line while the blade is not. If the user begins to cut the material with the saw in this orientation, it is often difficult to correct the alignment problem.
Therefore, a window assembly is needed that will allow a user to ensure that the blade of the saw is in alignment with the desired cut-line. Further, a window assembly is needed that will allow a user to continuously monitor the alignment of the saw blade relative to the desired cut-line.